


Miscommunication

by orphan_account



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 15:18:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7227712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Patty is minding her own business when a man with a gun gets in the car and forces her to drive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miscommunication

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DYlogger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DYlogger/gifts).



> Happy birthday to the most wonderful internet friend ever, Dy! Seeing as you live in rarepair hell, I thought this might help a bit XD

Patty tapped her fingers on the steering wheel of her car, idly glancing at the dashboard clock. Seeing that only two minutes had passed, she let out a groan of frustration, letting her head loll back onto the headrest with a  _ thunk _ . Patience had always been one of her strong points, but she was hungry, and her takeout receipt had said 6:45. It was now 6:53, and while she could appreciate that Mama Chow’s was almost always busy, her growling stomach was making her wonder if she could use her CCPD badge to get a rush on her order.

 

Suddenly, the wail of a police siren crescendoed through the busy night, followed by the screech of tires as a patrol car rounded the corner. A man came running out of the restaurant, hand on his hip. Patty could identify that gesture anywhere: he had a gun. 

 

She was so shocked that she almost didn’t notice said man running towards her car. He banged on the passenger window, causing Patty to yelp in surprise.

 

“Let me in!” he shouted, whipping his head back to look at the approaching car. Every instinct Patty owned told her to bolt, but her gun was back at the precinct, and without it, she didn’t stand much chance. She unlocked the door, and the man jumped in. 

 

“Follow that car!” he ordered, and Patty obediently stomped on the gas. As they careened down the street, Patty let her eyes trail sideways towards her new passenger. His hand was still resting on his hip, fingers twitching against the holster. Gnawing her lip, Patty looked up, trying to identify the man in case he appeared in a lineup later on. He had a strong jaw masked with blonde stubble, which occasionally darkened as they passed under the streetlights. The effect was quite enjoyable, and Patty allowed herself to sneak another glance.

 

“Eyes on the road!” the man yelped, clutching the dashboard as the car veered towards the sidewalk. Patty wrenched the steering wheel back with a curse, silently thanking her sharp reflexes. She really hoped that her passenger hadn’t done anything too horrible, because the last thing she wanted was to be charged with accessory to murder. Hopefully, once this was all over, she could go back to the precinct and explain what had happened.

 

Ahead of her, the police car and another vehicle skidded to a halt, and Patty floored the brakes to avoid a collision. The man leapt out of Patty’s car, gun drawn as he closed in on the fleeing vehicle. Patty quickly followed, grabbing her Taser out of the glove box.

 

“CCPD, FREEZE!” They both yelled simultaneously, brandishing their weapons at the fugitive. The man instantly raised his hands as Patty looked at her companion in confusion.

 

“You’re CCPD? I thought you were his accomplice!” She shouted, turning and pointing the taser at him.

 

“I’ve only been here two weeks,” he replied defensively, looking at her with a confused expression. “My name’s Eddie Thawne, I just transferred from Keystone. Here, let me get my-”

 

“Don’t move!” Patty ordered. “And you, don’t move either.” She scowled at the criminal, who was still being held at gunpoint by Eddie. Fortunately, the other officers had finished barricading the street, and dragged their prey out of the car and handcuffed him. 

 

“Not bad for a CSI tech,” one of them said, clapping Patty on the shoulder affectionately. She looked down at the ground, a blush staining her cheeks.

 

“Well, I’m still in training,” she replied, but she was grinning all the same.

 

“You’re CSI?” Eddie holstered his weapon, looking at Patty with newfound admiration. “That must be why we haven’t met.” He stuck out his hand, a grin on his face.

 

“Sorry for commandeering your car like that,” he continued. “I was just inside Mama Chow’s when my radio went off, and you were the first person I - I mean, your car was the first one I saw.”

 

Patty warmly shook his hand, grinning back at Eddie. “Patty Spivot,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. I’m - late for my takeout!” She slapped a hand to her forehead in frustration, looking down at her watch. It was now 7:45, and her order had probably been snatched by some broke college student by now. Eddie’s face fell when he saw Patty’s unhappiness.

 

“I’m really sorry I dragged you into this,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe I could - um, make it up to you?”

 

Patty’s cheeks flushed red once more. “Are you asking me out?”

 

“No, it’s just - Jitters is nearby, and Iris - my partner’s daughter - works there, and she said she’d give me a discount, and I thought - you know what, never mind.”

 

Patty let out a small chuckle as Eddie clamped his mouth shut, embarrassed. “Sorry,” she said, “normally it’s me doing the word vomiting.” Eddie looked down at the floor, probably wishing it would spontaneously open up and swallow him. 

 

“Coffee does sound great, though,” she added, her tone more gentle. When Eddie looked back up, his eyes were shining with hope, red and blue bouncing off his irises. With a cheeky grin, he extended his hand in mock formality.

 

“If I may, CSI Spivot?”

 

Patty laid her hand on Eddie’s arm, sticking her nose in the air snootily. “You may, Detective Thawne,” she said in her best haughty accent, before dissolving into a fit of giggles. The adrenaline of the car chase was wearing off, and a warm sleepiness wrapped around her like a blanket after a long day. Beside her, Eddie was also laughing, a rich chuckle that made Patty feel like her ear canals were being coated in honey. 

 

They spent nearly an hour in Jitters just talking, Patty sipping her mocha and demolishing a bear claw as she traded old case stories with Eddie. He was a lot funnier than she’d expected, and even if he didn’t understand her Monty Python jokes, he didn’t let that stop him from having a good time. 

 

‘-And so I said, ‘Freeze! Or do you want to find out the hard way you’re not faster than a bullet?’ ” Chuckled Eddie through a mouthful of blueberry muffin.

 

“Oh my God, that is so pretentious,” Patty guffawed, holding a hand over her mouth as she struggled not to spray crumbs over Eddie. 

 

“Yeah, well it was my first real arrest in Central, and it kind of got to my head a little.” Eddie shook his head self-deprecatingly. 

 

“Happens to the best of us,” Patty replied. “You should’ve seen Barry when he figured out the Snart case - he was practically bouncing off the walls.”

 

Eddie fidgeted with his cuff buttons, avoiding Patty’s gaze. “Yeah, he’s a really great guy,” he muttered. “You two close, then?”

 

“ _ What _ ? No, Barry’s just - just a friend,” Patty stammered, finishing her bear claw in the awkward silence that followed.

 

“So, uh, do you have a girlfriend?” She ventured, and tried to sip her drink casually. “Boyfriend?”

 

Eddie shook his head. “Nope, just me.” 

 

“Oh, that’s - uh, nice,” replied Patty.  _ Smooth, Patty _ , she thought.  _ Real subtle _ . However, Eddie didn’t seem to mind, as he was busy picking at the leftover crumbs of his muffin. 

 

“This was nice,” he finally said, looking up to meet Patty’s eyes. They were only a shade or two darker than hers, with green flecks that made her think of leaves in a pond.

 

“Yeah,” Patty agreed, her pulse starting to pick up again. “It was. Thanks, Eddie.” They held each other’s eyes for a long moment, and Patty started to entertain the thought of kissing him. Entertaining then led to decision, and she leaned forward over the table, eyes closing reflexively. However, instead of lips, her forehead knocked with Eddie’s, who had been attempting the same maneuver. They both made a noise of pain, leaning back and rubbing their foreheads. 

 

“Owww,” whined Patty, tracing where she was already starting to develop a reddened mark. 

 

“Crap, I’m so sorry,” Eddie hastened to apologize, standing up. “I didn’t mean -”

 

“No no no, it’s my bad,” interjected Patty. “I should’ve been paying attention, I’m such a klutz sometimes!”

 

Eddie frowned. “Don’t say things like that, Patty. You’re smart, and brave, and funny, and beautiful, and any -” 

 

The detective’s flustered assertions were simply too much for Patty to bear, and she grabbed the lapels of his coat, kissing him hard. Caught slightly by surprise, Eddie’s eyes widened, but he relaxed into the kiss, and placed his hands on Patty’s shoulders. They were warm through her blouse, and she pulled back, smiling. 

 

“My lab is on the second floor, third door from the left. Visit me sometime?” Patty asked, sudden shyness overcoming her. 

 

“I would love to,” Eddie replied, and rubbed Patty’s shoulder with his thumb. “ _ And _ I’ll bring Mama Chow’s to make up for our earlier...miscommunication.”

 

The two shared a laugh, walking out of the coffee shop hand in hand. When they reached Patty’s car, she stood on her toes and pecked him on the cheek. 

 

“Best ride with an armed stranger I’ve ever had.” 

 

Behind them, Iris pulled out her phone, a smirk on her face. She could not  _ wait _ to tell Barry about this.


End file.
